From Wikipedia - Reading time: 7 min
![]() | |
| Location | 901 Rice Street Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°46′44″N 84°25′25″W / 33.77889°N 84.42361°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Capacity | 1,125 |
| Population | 3,000 (as of 2023) |
| Opened | 1989 |
| Managed by | Fulton County Sheriff's Office |
| Warden | Sheriff Patrick Labat |
| Street address | 901 Rice Street |
| City | Atlanta |
| County | Fulton County |
| State/province | Georgia |
| Country | United States |
The Fulton County Jail, also referred to as Rice Street,[1] is a prison in Atlanta, Georgia. It was built to hold up to 1,125 prisoners in 1989 but now houses over 3,000.[2] The US Department of Justice found in 2024 that conditions in the jail were unconstitutionally "inhumane, violent and hazardous".[3]
Fulton County jail holds both people in pre-trial detention and people who have been convicted and sentenced.[4] The prison is administered by Fulton County.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2024) |
The original Fulton County Jail was constructed in 1904 on Pryor Street in downtown Atlanta with a capacity of 400 people.[5]
The current facility was built in 1989 at 901 Rice Street.[6]
A former Fulton County jailer was remanded to prison himself in 2012 on charges of accepting bribes of more than $26,000 to distribute drugs inside the jail.[7]
In September 2022, 35-year-old inmate Mr. Lashawn Thompson died in his cell three months after being arrested kept in pre-trail detention for a misdemeanor.[2][8] His death was considered due to neglect and his family was compensated $4 million.[9] The county sheriff, Patrick Labat, fired three jailers after the scandal.[10]
The jail received media attention from the August 24, 2023 mug shot booking of former president Donald Trump.[11]
In November, 2024 the Department of Justice reported that Fulton County Jail violated constitutional and statutory rights of prisoners, and that prisoners were vulnerable to serious harm from conditions in the prison.[12][13] In December, 2024 a class action lawsuit was filed against Sheriff Patrick Labat over conditions in the jail. Plaintiffs in the suit include defendants from the YSL RICO trial, and seek a court injunction requiring the sheriff to improve conditions at the jail.[3] In 2024, it was announced that the jail would be renovated rather than constructing a new facility.[14]
The third and fourth seasons of the docuseries 60 Days In were set at the Fulton County Jail.[15]